September 22, 2004—The UK’s Department for The Environment, Food And Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has just named seven preferred bidders in the first round of a program to fund pilot schemes of cutting-edge waste technologies to treat and divert biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) away from landfills. The technologies include anaerobic digestion, aerobic digestion, mechanical biological treatment (MBT), pyrolysis, gasification, and in-vessel composting.
The pilot schemes, which will be run in partnership with local authorities and industry, will help to establish the technical and commercial viability of emerging and near-market waste technologies, providing more confidence for industry and local authorities on the economic and environmental feasibility of these “new” technologies.
Five operational demonstration plants are planned for the end of 2005, with a further five by the end of 2006. All of the pilots will be regulated to strict environmental standards and are likely to run over two years. Ultimately, the facilities will be made available to local authorities and industry to help inform waste management decision-making.
DEFRA also recently announced that the agency will provide extra funding for local authorities to meet the challenges of planning and delivering waste and recycling services. The latest figures show less waste going to landfills as recycling continues to increase.
